As the world advances with instant communication, a multitude of dating apps and sites have emerged. In result of this technology, young adults have an array of options to choose from in terms of hooking up, serious and/or causal dating.
It’s been said that young adults today live in a culture with the prominent theme of hooking up. It may be true—in some circumstances, the power is literally in our hands. The invention of Tinder, a dating app (which is known better for casual hook ups), has taken the dating world of young people by storm. With one single swipe of the thumb, you may or may not have created a potential match for… whatever you prefer.
The increasing popularity of meeting people online may be easier to others for a few reasons. It can be easier talking to someone behind a screen; it’s less scary creating a mask for yourself and only showing what you want others to see. You choose the pictures and you choose what you write in your bio. Second, it’s cheap. There are plenty of free dating sites—Tinder being one of them, as well as OkCupid.
To keep up with the trends of college-aged culture, I decided to conduct a social experiment, where I, Bonnie Paresa, would enter the land of digital dating. I’ve heard so much hype about Tinder and OkCupid that I decided to start with these.
Here are 15 things that actually happened to me while using both sites.
*Names and faces have been blurred to protect identity.
1.) The metaphors were on point.
2.) The matches started to get overwhelming. *Soooo popular*
3.) Someone thought we would make some cute kids together, because apparently, I’m a “great mix.”
4.) Inhibitions/boundaries did not exist.
5.) Some people didn’t know what a hint was.
6.) The pick-up lines were everything I wanted them to be and more.
7.) Everyone asked me about my ethnicity/race. EVERYONE.
8.) The inevitable Bonnie and Clyde pick-up lines were an ongoing theme (I can’t even blame them though).
9.) The compliments were creative.
10.) There were some colorful characters.
11.) Some people tried to “wow” me with their impressive skills of pick-up lines and sorcery. #WIN
12.) This guy told me how he really felt (and didn’t know what a comma was or how to use parentheses for that matter).
13.) Some people thought they knew exactly what I was doing.
14.) I met some people who also went to CPP!
15.) My phone died after 2 hours from all of the open applications.
Other conversations consisted of questions like “how come you are single?” and “y no bf?” Some guys were very nice and I had some cool conversations with them about why they were on these sites. Others seemed super promising, and then ruined it soon after. I also received a picture of a BUTT (that I did not ask for!).
Check out next week where I dive into more of digital-age dating, and get a little more into serious matters.
Have you ever tried online dating or met your significant other through an online dating site? Let us know about your experience using #CampusCropChat on Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
